Anyone know if there is a trick or hack to not have this come up every time you start your car?

 

Its a legal issue so that you cant sue Nissan when you crash due to looking at the Navi. No one on the ORG has figured out how to bypass it !

 

Just a PITA to "accept" every time!

 

Un-plug it....

 

Every GPS I have ever used boots up with that same warning message. It's basically to cover their a$$ to keep someone sueing them because of their own stupidity. Don't forget there are thousands of less intelligent individuals out there that can often forget they need to watch the road more so than toys on the dashboard.

I seriously doubt the message can be removed. And even if it could it would require someone to take the unit out and replace the afflicting ROM with a different one.

 

even handheld or mobile Garmins with map data do this.. annoying to say the least.. but fact of life

 

OT, but you Navigation guys might look into trying to get the "hack" some Lexus guys(ClubLexus) did, so that you can play DVDs on the OEM system.

I've just HEARD they figured out how, so don't hold me to it. I'll see if I can find out any details on how they did it.

 

The Acura CL guys have done the same. It isn't really a hack, it is just tapping into the signal feed on the screen. I am thinking of somehow rewriting the NAVI software!

 

If you figure out how, it would be a sweet output for say:
1)Gauges(EGT,A/F,Temp,etc..)
2)OBD software
3)DVDs
4)PS2
5)etc...

 

Reader: I notice that many different brands of computers display the company's insignia when the computer starts up and when Windows starts up. Can I change either or both of these images to customize my computer?

Scott: Some systems incorporate what is called a "splash screen" in the system BIOS. Some motherboard manufacturers (Intel for one) offer the ability to customize these splash screens with a special utility they offer. Intel has two, their older boards use a "Logo Utility" while their newer boards use a "Splash Screen Utility", both of which can be downloaded from their website at: http://developer.intel.com/design/mo.../gen_indx.htm.

These utilities are used so that companies that sell systems with Intel motherboards (Dell, Gateway, Joe's Computer Shack , etc.) can put their own custom logo or startup screen right in the BIOS, which helps perpetuate the myth that their system is somehow different from the others built using the same parts. If your motherboard isn't made by Intel, you'll need to check with the motherboard or system vendor for a similar utility. The second screen you see is the Windows splash screen. Windows 95 stores this file as C:\LOGO.SYS; Windows 98 doesn't need a LOGO.SYS file for its standard splash screen, but you can use the same procedure with either version of Windows to create your own customized splash screen.

A LOGO.SYS file must be a 256-color 320x400 pixel screen image that you can edit. First copy or rename the existing file (if any) as LOGO.BMP. Then you can use MSPaint (included with Windows) to edit the file, change it to whatever you want. Just make sure you keep the same size and color depth. Once you are done, rename the new file as LOGO.SYS and the next time Windows loads, you'll see that file instead. Windows also uses C:\WINDOWS\LOGOW.SYS and C:\WINDOWS\LOGOS.SYS when it is shutting down, and these screens can be similarly customized.





considering that its been done on pc's i should expect that its not to difficult to crack a nav system. however, is there anyone with the expertise? i am fairly sure the procedure would be somewhat similar to that of the earlier windows versions because the nav system doesnt have file protection measures?

im sure you can have the "boot up screen" say anything you'd like. however, you'd have to keep the size the same and at least for windows and what version youre running keep it a bmp or jpg, etc. i think youre even supposed to keep it 16 colors, heh. also, the nav system wouldnt be able to give a REAL status on the vehicle. its not capable of knowing how much boost youre running, etc.

does anyone know how to hook link up to the nav system? do the nav system maximas come with a navigation owners manual? that would be the first step?

 

Not as is, but if the OS(Operating System) of the nav is hacked as HE suggested was possible, you can output ANYTHING to the screen. Therefore, a simple sensor with an output voltage could be used as an input and his OS would display whatever he wanted.

Of course, this is all FANTASY unless he writes an OS or modifies the OEM OS. It's not impossible, but it would be VERY difficult and time consuming.

 

Your information is a bit outdated, as this refers to versions of windows no longer on the market. Generally these logos are built into Dynamic Link Library (DLL) files these days and cannot be directly replaced without replacing the entire library file.

The OS on the NAV system is probably not "customizable" like a PC, so that's a bad comparison. The OS on a PC is a set of files installed to the hard drive and the hard drive is an accessible device which you can open, edit, etc. through an interface (graphical one in this case) to change pieces of the OS like a graphic or a specific setting. Devices like the Navi in your car are probably "fixed" in their OS written directly to a chip on the Navi system's board. You would, likely, have to completely replace the entire OS with a newly customized one and that would require some serious level of knowledge about the existing OS. This is similar to upgrading the BIOS on your computer. Of course, the BIOS/CMOS on your computer is moderately customizable since there is an interface designed to access it (usually accessed by pressing F1 or Esc during post, depending on your manufacturer), but I find it unlikely that a similar interface exists on the Navi since there is no real value to the manufacturer to provide an interface.

The first goal in any process like this is to find out who wrote the Nav system for Nissan. Isn't it BirdsEye or something? Some company must own that technology...it is not likely Nissan itself.

 

youre wrong. im running win2k and the logos are NOT built into the dlls (heh why would they be?) and have replaced mine.

i dont know enough about the system that the nav uses to be able to tell you if it is, or isnt. if it works anything like a pc, it is customizable... to what extent is the question.

this is true. however, not ALL information is contained on the hd. have you ever formmated your computer and found that all your BIOS information is still intact even after the format? its because its not all on the hd!! its actually stored on the motherboard. on the earlier versions of windows, the logo WAS stored on the hd. however on the newer, they are in the BIOS and ARE customizable. you just have to know how. its really cool. you have to flash a bmp into a exe file into your rom. its really dope you should look into how to do it.

youre probably right. the computer the nav system uses probably doesnt have the interface capabilities that a pc has, BUT, just because the "liability screen" is FIXED, like you say, doesnt mean it cannot be changed.

IceY2K1, youre right it is POSSIBLE. but again, like you said, it would require rewriting the OS to the extent that it is now doing what it was never intentionally programmed to do. an enormous amount of work is needed to accomplish what you "fantasize."

id say in maybe 2 years we'll see stuff like this popping up on nav systems.

 

The fix is actually very simple and I think I should do a write up on it.

Your going to need a philips screwdriver.

1. Take apart your dash.
2. Put it in a box.
3. Take to your local USPS or Mailboxes etc.
4. Send it to me

 

The Nav is so integrated into other parts of the car, that I'll just clip the entire front end off the car off a swap.

 

hey that works too you know, this way i dont even need to spend the 900 bones for the hid's...but if you really insist why not just swap cars altogeather!?!?!?!?

 

Okay, started to reply to your whole email, but just not interested right now. Back to what I ended with. The first thing to find out is what company designed the OS for the Navi system. If an interface was, programmatically, included in the OS...then this is not such a long shot. If we knew who wrote it, we could figure that out...if anybody cares to research that, it would be the first step.

 

The Company that sells Nissan the rights to the Navi OS is a company called Zenrin (www.Zenrin.com).

Just an FYI
Scott

 

i have a question for the nav owners:

when exactly does this "liability screen" appear?
every time the engine is started?
every time the navi is turned on?
cd inserted?




and oh, MichaelAE, english was not my first language. i am having trouble understanding this word you used: "programmatically?" i looked it up in the dictionary, but couldnt find it?

 

Well, buy a new dictionary. I was using the word as the adverb form of definition number one.

pro·gram·mat·ic Pronunciation Key (prgr-mtk)
adj.
1. Of, relating to, or having a program.
2. Following an overall plan or schedule: a step-by-step, programmatic approach to problem solving.
3. Music. Of, resembling, or constituting program music.

program·mati·cal·ly adv.

 

Thanks Scott. I dropped an email to the company with some generic questions that, hopefully, will get me engaged with someone who can answer a few questions about their OS. I'm sure they won't be too keen on the topic at hand, but I'll try to get some basic answers about, at least, whether or not they built an interface into the OS for themselves to use or whether they lock even themselves out of the OS once they ship it.

 

ahhhhh, i see what youre saying. you dont even think its possible to get INTO the OS eh?

well, hm, what if something malfunctioned, what would happen? they cannot even make any repairs? or updates? or even a diagnostic? because you think the OS cannot be interfaced with?

the consumer would be stuck with buying a complete new one if theyre out of warranty? that blows.

 

hopefully theyll email u back. im curious to hear what they say.

 

Flash the whole chip. If there is nothing meant to be changed, why program an interface into it (waste of developer resources for the company)? Just provide an interface that allows you to flash the chip.

So, what I'm saying is that in lieu of any sort of programmatic interface, we would need to entirely replace the OS. To do that and have it still function as the Nav system would require having the source code of the original OS...do you agree?

 

It comes on just when you start the car. I've only ejected the NAV disc once and it came on after that. Just a Pain in the A$$.
Routine:
1>Start car
2>push enter
3>put in gear and go
I just wish I could eliminate step 2 before hitting the road before hitting the road!

 

I understand what you're saying understand what you're saying.

I'll let you guys know if I can get anywhere with Zenrin.

 

yes i do, if the whole system exists on a flash mem plat, things could get a little wirey!

 

Good luck getting a response. I have emailed them numerous times to find out when the next version of the CDs was going to be released, and had no reply still to this day. I did however find there phone number on the website and actually called. When I asked them when it would be released he acted like I was a total idiot, and merely saying that all updates are released in September, like I was supposed to know that already. I really don't think this is possible guys (to bipass the liability screen), the real fix that I would like to see is the one that would allow me to actually program my destination while I am driving, instead of having to come to a complete stop to do anything on it.

Scott

 

look suspciously alot like very old maptech coverage areas.. circa 2000.

 

Here might be a clue. That liability warning DOES NOT come on unless a disc is inside. So maybe it is a function of the software. When there is no disc a Nissan logo is the only thing present on the screen

 

!!!!!!

thats why i asked when exactly does the msg appear!

i thought this might be the case.

if it is in fact, on the dvd, then well... hm.

what happens if you pop your navi cd into your pc?

can you read any files?

what are the file types?

 

First of all it is not a DVD, it is in fact a CD. Secondly it is a .dat file.

Scott